There used to be something I believed quite strongly in. That is if you just learned enough bible, you know enough verses things would get better. And the reason people couldn’t stay strong is because they didn’t have enough bible in them. So if someone had a problem hook them up to the bible IV, sooner or later they would get better, or there was something wrong with them. Why? Because the bible is the answer to all of our questions and life difficulties right?
Just apply the specific proof text to your problems three times a day and call me in the morning. Got marriage problems? Read the bible! Children experimenting with drugs (first the church may be so judgmental that you won’t have to worry about them talking to you) apply the bible. Anxiety due to the economy and you don’t have enough money saved to weather the storm? Read the bible! Molested as a child? Read the Bible! Lost your spouse and children in a wreck? Come on! Read your bible! Want to know the answers to everything in the world? Read your bible!
But what happens Community of Grace when it doesn’t work? When my husband or wife is having an affair? When my boss mistreats me and the anxiety wakes me up at 3:00 Sunday morning. When my kid overdoses? When my spouse commits suicide and we don’t have life insurance? When the chemo and the operation didn’t heal the cancer of my 3 year old? When I am told by the doctor that he can’t find whats wrong and my health insurance runs out. When my wife can’t get pregnant, or she loses 3 kids and now she has depression and don’t want to see me, touch me or even hear my voice? What happens when I don’t want to read the bible, my prayers are as heavy as armored truck, when the ceiling is closing in the walls are getting getting closer, the end seems to be as far away as the sun? When Jesus feels like an abstract thought, sort of like the Tooth Fairy or Frost the Snowman?
For the most part I don’t think we know what to do. We have become so accustomed to prescribing the bible that we don’t know how to allow people to be messed up. We got to fix it. We have to give them an answer. Forget weeping when they weep, or rejoicing when they rejoice. Forget bearing one anothers burdens. Why because that takes relationship, time, grace. We have to allow people to question God in a way that shakes our faith at its core, and for most of us that is to scary. That is too risky. We have to allow people to cry on us until we are soaked in their tears, that our hearts ache, until we are torn as they our torn.
Sometimes we just need to shut up and listen. Sometimes we need to put the kids to bed, turn on the coffee pot (or open a couple of beers, or like me a little “wine for my stomach”) and prepare for a long night. But we don’t have time, nor the patience, nor the endurance to bear others burdens. I also don’t think we have the compassion nor the mercy. It is much easier to fix it, give them a bible verse and it all just goes away, depression and emotional illness, and homosexual struggles, and infidelity and lose of young loved ones are not easy fixes and I know many people today who say “the church left me hanging in my time of need” and they want nothing to do with it/us.
Here is my appeal Christian, and to all of the people that I gave some neat verse in your time of need I am soooo sorry, be a shoulder, or an ear, open your home and get the tissues ready. Tell the spouse you are going to be up late at Denny’s, tell the boss you will be in a little late. In other words stop trying to do the easy fix method, the patch work of quoting verses. Listen, have compassion, lay down your life, I know you have to go to work and the kids have you up late, and the game is coming on, but I remember Paul saying “don’t look out for your own interests only”. Lets start being a community of grace and that just doesn’t mean forgiveness but also extended one’s life for the benefit of others.
Well put Lionel. I don’t even want to attempt to add anything to it.
What a long, strange trip its been….
You may open a can of worms with the beer one. Some people may think you’re not abstaining from the appearence of evil with that one lol. Or you may get beer/wine is a mocker verse thrown at you deal. I understand though exactly what your saying here. I agree, and we have to operate in the love of Jesus Christ towards one another. I once went tailgating at a Redskins game and was accused of being a drunkard basically because I went around people drinking. Little did my accuser know that the person who invited me wanted to share Christ with the people he invited along to tailgate. So they opened up their brew and we talked about life and threw some footballs without a scripture being quoted. Amazingly those guys opened up quick. I enjoyed this post. Thanks Lionel;
Karsten Miller
Hey,
I saw your post. Thanks for the wonderful post (: Anyhow, until recently I don’t understand ‘Through Christ’.
I realised that we’re just instruments, and us having compassion or any other thing that we do, it should reflect the goodness of God. So, (:
It sounds really silly and for a while i couldn’t understand it and the me being just an instrument part. I mean, i can’t be on earth to be used by somebody right, even if it were God.
But know that God has something really really cool for you.
Read John chapter 2. Its about Jesus being at a wedding, and He turned water into wine. There’s actually a spiritual indication there that speaks so clearly.
Our lives, like water, can be like wine too, only if we let God intervene. Amazing, isn’t it? (:
Oh wells, I don’t think that has got anything to do with your post…but. yeah (: just thought of sharing this with you. (:
Have a Blessed week ahead..
In Christ, Cherie
Mark,
Thanks brother!
Alan,
The journey is just beginning!
)
KM,
Yeah I know I shouldn’t have just talked about beer and wine maybe I should have added some gin and juice and some squares! LOL. But amazingly one of the most frequent accusations thrown at Jesus is “a friend of sinners or a glutton and a drunkard” thank God that you decided to be labeled like Jesus! Extending grace to the lost is risky business but I bet all my chips on the Spirit who indwells us. It is risky because of what legalist will think of you (I know because I had to go to Legalist Anonymous) and it is risky because it may take a bunch of time and investment.
Lionel,
Excellent post. As a pastor and seminary educator of pastors who counsel, I say “Amen!” There’s something in the DNA of most pastor-types that has to quick fix everything. We have bought into the world’s “solution focused” mentality. I like to think about soul-u-tions. That is, we connect soul-to-soul and we help strengthen our brothers and sisters’ soul connection to their Savior. Even when we can’t find answers, we find God…in our questions, in our struggles.
The stereotype of the “biblical counseling movement” has often been, “take two verses and call me in the morning.” However, biblically and historically, it has always been an ongoing, communal process. Paul models just what you are talking about in 2 Cor. 1:3-11. Eight times he talks about mutual comfort. And as a Christian leader he models admitting that he, too, struggled deeply in his Christian life.
Thanks again for reminding us all that we are called to be “Jesus with skin on” sustaining one another through this vale of tears until we get to the other side.
Bob
Lionel
The problem with the name it and claim it Christianity is that we often do not allow the sovereign will of God to apply to the situations we are confronted with everyday.
Quoting the promises of God all day long will not by any means change a situation on ground,unless God consents.We need to remember this at all times,and to humbly seek that God’s will prevails always.
TUNJI
Brother Bob,
Thanks so much for stopping by. And thanks so much for your words of wisdom and insight. I checked your ministry it seems like a very fruitful one indeed.
Tunji,
I agree wholeheartedly.